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Recovering Granderson empathizes with Jeter

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Girardi on Jeter's injury 0:32

4/18/13: Yankees manager Joe Girardi shares his reaction to the news that Derek Jeter will be out until after the All-Star break

By Bryan Hoch
/
MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- Curtis Granderson could sense the disappointment that Derek Jeter felt after learning he had re-injured his surgically repaired left ankle, a setback that is expected to keep the shortstop on the disabled list until after the All-Star break.

But Granderson, who has been working out with Jeter at the Yankees' Spring Training complex in Tampa, Fla., also believes that Jeter might have found some relief in finally understanding why it was taking him so long to feel normal on a baseball field again.

"It's not like he did his [injury] trying to do too much," Granderson said. "I think it was something that had been lingering in there. From talking to him, it was, 'Man, there's something irritating in there. What is it?' They looked at a bunch of different things, and they finally found it."

Jeter flew last week to be seen by Dr. Robert Anderson, who performed the shortstop's initial reconstructive surgery in October, and a CT scan revealed a small fracture in the captain's left ankle. Jeter is expected to rest his ankle for four to eight weeks before resuming baseball activities, and he will travel to New York this week.

"The big thing for him is he finally knows what it is," Granderson said. "I think he was definitely frustrated, like, 'Why is there something going on? Everything says it's OK. We're trying this, that and the other thing and I'm going out trying to push forward and I can't.'

"There's some cause of that. What is that cause? We finally found out what that cause is. So, as interesting as it sounds, it's a relief to know finally what it is. Obviously, it's still mentally discouraging to understand now what it is -- you've got to sit back for a bit -- but now we know. Rest it up, and whenever it heals up, get back to work -- he'll be back sooner than later."

As for Granderson, he remains on course to rejoin the Yankees sometime around the first week of May, as his fractured right wrist has healed. Granderson hit off a tee and practices soft-toss on Monday, also throwing from a distance of 90 feet.

"It's going to be somewhere in May; don't know exactly when," Granderson said. "Everything is looking pretty good. X-rays have all been good. Everything is feeling good, each step that we've made. The big thing is that whenever I finally start playing, getting at-bats, getting timing and stuff. Once that day comes, we'll have a little better evaluation."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.